Fire-escape



(No Model.)

J. A. NEILSON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented Apr. 13, 1886.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. NEILSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 339,918, dated April 13, 1886.

Application filed September 15, 1885. Serial No. 177,148. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES A. NEILsoN, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovementin Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of fireescapes which involve the use of a rope and pulley, by which the occupants of the building may lower themselves from a window.

It has for its object the construction of an easily-managed fire-escape which will furnish a safe secure seat for the person escaping, and will automatically adjust itself to the weight, so that whether the load be great or small the predetermined rate of speed of descent shall be nearly the same, without requiring any adjustment or any exertion whatever on the part of the occupant in respect thereto, which rate of descent may, however, be either quickened or diminished at pleasure by the person using the escape, and will be automatically resumed so soon as the overruling action thereon is discontinued.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved apparatus when fully rigged and in use, as seen from the inside of the window to which it is attached; Fig. 2, an elevation of the same from the outside; Fig. 3, an irregular section in line xwof Fig. 1, illustrating the frictional bearing of the rope upon the drum; and Fig. 4, an elevation, partly in section, of the drum and reel with the rope removed.

A represents a drum or large widefaced pulley, mounted to turn freely between the two cheek-plates G G, which are united and braced apart above and below by the cross bars or plates H and I, forming unitedly a strong supporting-frame. The axial pin or shaft R, upon which the drum A rotates, is extended out beyond one of the cheek-plates, G, far enough to serve as ajournal for a reel, E, fitted to turn loosely thereon, (see Fig. 4,) and confined by an outer nut, e, screwing upon the end of the shaft, a collar, r, being interposed on the shaft between the inner face of the reel and the cheek-plate G. The outer face of the reel is provided with a crank-pin, E, to facilitate turning it to wind up a rope or cord thereon.

The periphery of the drum A is formed with a series of parallel circumferential grooves, a a a, cut thereon side by side, to receive and guide the turns of the rope carried over the drum and prevent them from interfering and chafing or overlapping one upon the other.

A transferring-pulley, B, (see Fig. 4,) of a width upon its face about equal to that of the drum, is mounted upon a pivotal axis between ears projecting from the front edges of the cheek-plates G G, near the bottom of the drum so that the axis of the pulleyshall be inclined to that of the drum at an angle of about ten degrees, more or less, with its highest side next to the reel. The periphery of the pulley is grooved to correspond with that of the drum, the grooves being of the same diameter, and these grooves on the pulley are so placed with reference to those on the drum as that they would interlock if brought closely together, the dividing ridges between the one set of grooves falling between those of the other, instead of into contact therewith. The grooves on the pulley are less'in number than those on the drum, so that the first groove, (1, on the drum next to the reel has no counterpart on the pulley, and is reserved for a special purpose, to be hereinafter described.

A single guide-pulley, F, is mounted transversely to the drum A,to rotate at a right angle therewith, between cheek-plates f, made fast to the lower cross-plate, I, of the frame, in which the drum is mounted in position so that its periphery on the inner side shall be in line with the first groove on the transferringpulley B and beneath it, the diameter of .said pulley F being such as to carry the opposite side of its periphery out beyond the inner side plate of the reel E, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

The cheekplates G G are carried up above the upper cross-plate, H, far enough to receive a cross-bar, J, which is led through eyes in said plates, and is made long enough to extend across the frame or casing of a window and to rest for support in brackets or hooks K K,

(see Fig. 1,) made fastto the casing on its inner side. The end of the bar J fitting in the one bracket, K, may be notched or grooved, so as to engage said bracket and prevent I 5 thereby any longitudinal movement of the bar. The portion of the upper cross-plate, H. which is over that end of the drum A next to the reel E is extended and curved in an arc concentric with the periphery of the drum, as shown in Fig. 3, and is perforated with a series of holes, 1' i i, from end to end. I

Small single-grooved pulleys O and D are mounted under the drum, but in the rear of its axis,upon a common axial rod parallel with the axis of the drum, to rotate, respectively, under the grooves at each end thereof. The lower cross-plate, I, of the frame is slotted transversely immediately under each pulley, (see Fig. 3,) to permit the rope to pass through 23 it from said pulleys. The inner end of the lower cross-plate, I, is extended (see Fig. 3) far enough to serve as a brace against the lower bar or rail of the bottom sash of the window in which the fire-escape may be placed 25 when the sash is raised. I

The rope I? for the escape,sufficient in length to extend doubled to the ground from the I height at which the drum is to be placed, is so wound upon the reel E, which revolves loosely independent ofthe drum, as to unwind therefrom in a direction contrary to that in which the drum must revolve as the rope carried over it drops therefrom. From the reel the rope is carried around the pulley F, thence 5 over the first groove in the pulley'B to the second groove on the drum, and over the drum to the second groove on the pulley F, thence to the third groove on the drum, and so on overthe drum and pulley until from the last 0 groove of the drum the rope is carried over the inner face of the pulley D and down through the corresponding slot in the crossplate I, and,being looped through atraveling sheave or pulley, M, (to which the sling is at- 5 tached, as hereinafter described,) is carried thence upthrough the second slot in the plate I, over the inner face of the pulley O, and over the face of the drum A in the first groove therein, and is finally led through one of the 50 holes 12 in the upper plate, H, and there made fast. The frictional contact and bearing of this last-fixed end of the rope upon the face of the drum and in its first groove serves as a brake upon the drum to prevent its too rapid rotation.

The traveling sheave or pulley M is fitted.

between the upper ends of the two side plates of a frame, N, to whose lower ends a sling, L, is secured. Immediately under the'pulley and between the side plates of the frame N a double-ended lever, O, is centrally pivoted, so that either end may swing up against the pe riphery of the pulley, and so'serve as a brake against the same or upon the intervening rope led over it, and which, being balanced, will when not in, use remain neutral.

The sling L is preferably made of a series of strips of canvas, (see dotted lines in Fig. 2.)

each cut wider in the center than at the ends and sewed firmly together along their edges. so as to form when thus united and suspended by its two ends a bag-shaped seat much higher or deeper at the edges than in the middle, so

shape, the surplus canvas remaining attached Straps S S are provided, to beto the sling. carried over the shoulders and buttoned or sewed, if desired, to the front and rear edges, and a third strap may also be secured. to the upper edge of the sling to encircle the chest, making it impossible for a person to fall outv of the sling without breaking them, but these are unnecessary, unless for very feeble persons.

The lever O is within immediate reach of y the person seated in the sling, and by hearing down upon either arm thereof the passage of the rope over the pulley may be retarded or completely arrested and the downward movement'of the sling retarded or stayed. at pleas- 'ure.

cross-bar J from the hooks K-K of any window provided therewith, the bar admitting .of a being readily slipped into place upon the hooks. The drum A is then slipped along upon the bar to a convenient point, and the sling is fitted upon the body by taking hold of its edges near to the two ends, one in each 7 hand, and stepping through the opening between'said ends and the frame N, to which they are secured, and then lifting the upper edge up under the armpits. With the sling thus about the body the person must let himself or herself out of the window and allow upon the opposite end of the rope will tighten its turns upon the drum, .and, in connection with the pulleys D, B, and F, will also operate to prevent therope from slipping, and to produce a retarding friction which will serve to steady and control the delivery of the rope over the drum from the reel, and consequently the rate of descent of the sling and its occupant. As the rope passes from the intransferringpulley B guides it easily into the second groove on the drum, the first groove being reserved for the fixed end of the rope, and serves to guide it thereafter from the one groove to the next in ordersmoothly and without wear or friction, so as to produce a regularand even movement of the rope, allowing it to be given off from the drum as easily as from a single pulley.- The inclination of the axis of the pulley B to that of the drum A may be varied to suit the pitch of the grooves, so that a diametric plane passing through the center of the groove on the drum will pass through the center of the ridge separating the underlying grooves on the pulley.

The retarding friction of the fixed end of the rope 1? upon the drum A may be increased or diminished by fastening the rope nearer to or farther from the front, and this adjustment is facilitated by the series of holes ii i, provided for the purpose in the plate H, (see Fig. 3,) or in an offset or projection from the cheek-plate as an equivalent therefor. If the stationary end of the rope be set back so far as to cause a friction upon the periphery of the drum exceeding half of the tractive power of the weight upon the rope P, the movement of the drum will be completely arrested; but if the end of the rope be made to embrace less of the periphery of the drum its movement is permitted at a speed proportionate to the extent of bearing of the rope upon the drum. As this friction of the rope upon the drum, as well as the friction produced by the number of turns of rope over the drum, will be increased or decreased in exact proportion to the increase or decrease of the weight applied tothe rope, the movement will remain nearly the same under any weight.

The independent reel E carries in compact form all the surplus rope not in use, and the rope is readily wound up thereon by a rotation of the reel by means of the crank-handle E. As the reel is made to rotate in an opposite direction to that of the drum upon the axial shaft, its motion is retarded thereby sufficiently to prevent the rope from running off too rapidly from the reel.

By duplicating the hooks K K on all the windows ofa flat or suite of apartments the one fire-escape may be readily fitted to either, as may be most convenient and desirable at the moment.

\Vhen seated and suspended in the air in the sling, the body is in a very comfortable position. The thighs are at about a right angle to the body and at an angle of about forty-five degrees with the perpendicular. The legs below the knees hang over the edge of the sling at nearly a right angle to the thighs.

and the back and thighs well supported in position of ease, which in itself will tend to tranquilize a person called upon to use the apparatus. dependently-revolving reel E the inclined By pulling upon the portion of the rope moving downward the rapidity of descent may be increased, and by using the brake-lever 0 the speed may be retarded or the move ment arrested.

The reel is not a necessary adjunct of the drum, but the drum may be made long enough to carry upon itself sufficient rope to reach the ground. In such case the inclined pulley B may be dispensed with and a single groove, a, alone provided for the bearing of the stationary end of therope,to preventits displacement or its engagement with other portions of the rope.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in a fire-escape, with the grooved drum A A, of the cord P, made fast at one end to afixed plate above the drum and carried over its periphery to bear thereon with frictional contact, the guide-pulley D, over whose inner face the cord is led from the drum, and the traveling sheave or pulley M, over which the cord is looped and carried back to and around the drum, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination, in a fire-escape, with the grooved drum A, of the reel E, the grooved pulley B, whose axis is inclined to that of the drum, and the suspension-cord P, carried over the drum and pulley, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The combination, with the grooved drum A, the cord P, carried around the drum, the traveling pulley M, under which the cord is looped,aud the fixed pulley Ounder the drum, under which the cord is led to pass over the drum, of the plate H, fixed above the drum and provided with a series of holes, 2' i,whereby the end of the cord P may be readily adjusted and secured in different positions to bear with varying friction upon the periphery of the drum, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. The combination, with the drum A and guide-pulley F, of the reel E, mounted to revolve independently upon the prolonged axis of the drum A, and in a direction opposed to the rotation of saiddrum, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

5. The combination, in a fire-escape, with its rope P, drum .A, and traveling sheave or pulley M, carried upon the rope, of a lever, O, centrally pivoted between the cheeks or frame of the pulley-block upon an axis parallel with that of the sheave to swing from either side against its periphery, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

6. The combination, in a fire-escape, with The muscles are all in a partly-flexed state l the drum A, of the reel E, rotating upon the same axis the lateral guide sheaves or pulley In testimony whereof I have signed my name F, the grooved spacing or transferring pulley to this specification in the presence of two sub- B, having its axis inclined to that of the drum scribing witnesses.

A, the front guide pulleys, O D, rope P, 5 sheave M, sling L, and supporting-rod J, sub- 7 JAMES A. NEILSON..

\Vitnesses:

stantially in the manner and for the purpose 2 JOHN M. OBRIEN,

. J. G. SHOWAKER.

herein set forth. 

